Lydia Grace at 1.5 weeks

Lydia is about 1.5 weeks old now. She's been a much easier baby than Stephen in many ways. That may be her or it may be our better experience. Or maybe I'm just sleeping deeper now and not waking up for all the feedings during "third shift".

For my money, there's a lot to be said for having done this before. I remember you have to dab alcohol around the cord, change her frequently, hold her head up, etc.

I'm also comfortable enough in my manhood to say it: all these little pink outfits she has are really, really cute.

She's also made me realize how BIG Stephen is. I was holding her one evening before putting her down in the bassinet (sp?). I then went up to make sure Stephen was still under the covers (he wasn't). I looked at Stephen in his twin bed and realized he's grown so much! He's huge! And, he's reverting a little and asking me to carry him around the house - especially in the morning. He's such a grown up boy - talking, running, playing; and he has a GREAT imagination. It's amusing to sit and watch and listen to him play by himself - and fun to join in!

My mom and dad came to visit this past Saturday - obviously they were granddaughter deprived. One funny event was my dad, me, and Stephen (chief helper) fixing the upstairs toilet. It went as usual: my dad did most of it, I observed and learned, and Stephen "helped." "Helping" consisted mostly of clamping the pliers on anything that afforded clamping, including the towels, my jeans, the edge of the sink, and the parts we were currently not using.

Outlandish prediction: Stephen will either be a plumber or a rocket scientist.